free variable

Recurring Developments is an interactive visualization of running jokes throughout the first three seasons of Arrested Development. Click on a joke to see arcs to episodes in which it occurred, or click on an episode to see arcs to the jokes that appear in it. Of related interest, see also this Will Leitch piece about Arrested Development’s popularity, changes in television viewing patterns, and the increasingly long tail of mass media. (The thing that resonates most with me about Leitch’s piece is that the first time I saw Arrested Development — the first episode of the second season, when it aired — I didn’t know that many of the running jokes were running jokes, but I was able to recognize the intricacy of the narrative, and that this was a show that rewarded viewers for paying attention.)